


September

by lmeden



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-11
Updated: 2010-12-11
Packaged: 2017-10-13 15:32:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/138856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmeden/pseuds/lmeden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She inherited her mother’s hair, and her father’s temper.</p>
            </blockquote>





	September

**Author's Note:**

> This is, hands down, the most ambitious thing that I have ever attempted. Both in length and in complexity. I need to thank by betas - , , and - who helps me organize my thought and make this story work. Thank you again, and again, and again.
> 
> And it's a few months old. Just getting around to posting it now.

**1 September 2022**

Her hair dances like flames, as she walks the train corridor.

Luckily, Rose finds an empty compartment on the train quickly and slips inside, grateful for the respite from the incoming students, and, more importantly, her friends.

It had been a quiet summer for Rose. She had seen little of her brother, and her parents had mostly ignored her. Well, her father had ignored her and her mother had simply given her time alone. Still, it seemed as if everyone who encountered her noticed her foul mood - not a surprise, as the end of last term had managed to destroy her hope of ever finding love and happiness, thus rendering her incapable of anything resembling amiability.

The scowl that seemed to have grown into Rose's face returns to it as she slides the compartment doors closed and hefts her bag up onto the luggage rack above the seats. Once she is sure that it won’t fall and split open, spilling its contents over her head - and wouldn't _that_ be thrilling? - she turns back to the compartment doors.

There are heavy privacy curtains hanging on either side of the door, tucked partially behind the seats. She reaches over and tugs on them, her frown deepening when they don't move. She yanks harder until, with a sharp shriek, the curtains fly shut, hiding the door from view and blowing up puffs of dust and drifting cobwebs. Coughing, Rose falls back and sits by the window. The curtains have obviously not been used for a long time.

Rose thinks about locking the door as well, but decides against it. The curtains beg privacy, but a locked door...well, that simply invites the Prefects to unlock it and check on whoever is inside. And she wants privacy.

But, despite her expectations, Rose's mood is not improving in solitude. In fact, it is growing worse. She can’t stop thinking about the end of last term and her own shame. She purses her lips and glances out the window, searching for something, _anything_ , to take her mind away from dark thoughts.

And when she sees who is standing right outside her window, Rose's eyes fly wide and her breathing stutters. Scorpius Malfoy. He is standing between his parents, taller than both, intently watching the crowds mill across the platform. Rose can see the sharp curve of his jaw and the slant of his unerringly straight nose. And his eyes, uncanny silver, their irises turned to ovals by Rose's angle.

He doesn’t know that she is here.

A sick jolt flies through her, and Rose closes her mouth and attempts to regain some sort of self-control. She can’t let him get to her like this. She has known that she would see him again; had worked all summer to regain some sense of herself and be able to confront him with strength.

But sitting here, unobserved, Rose finds her self-control gone. She lets her eyes wander over his slim, confident figure. A deep and excruciating sadness spreads over her as she watches him stand there, so strong and unaffected. How can he do it, she wonders. After everything, how can he act normal - as if _nothing_ had happened?

Well. Nothing had happened, had it? Not to Scorpius. Despite the painful and unwilling arousal that curls through Rose at the sight of him, she knows that he feels nothing.

She wishes that curtains hung over these windows as well.

-

 **1 September 2017**

Rose was going to throw up. She knew it. Her hands were cold and shaking. She shoved them into her pockets to stop them before they embarrassed her but that didn’t work either, so she looked desperately around until her gaze settled on her father, tall and strong and proud.

The sight of him helped to calm Rose down and let her think. She couldn’t throw up now - not yet. Not before everything began. She hadn't even gotten onto the Express yet, or ridden it through the green English countryside, or arrived at school.

And she refused think about being Sorted, or she really would throw up on her dad’s nice robes, as Hugo had taunted earlier that morning.

Rose swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Dad, do you think that I'll be in Gryffindor?"

Dad looked down at her, surprised by the question, and the shrill desperation of it. He leaned down, his bright blue eyes (that Rose had always wanted but _never_ inherited, not even when she was just a babe and Mum had said that babies had all sorts of strange coloured eyes) intense and amused.

"’Course you will! No chance of anything else in this family, you know. The Hat’ll make the right decision, trust me.” He smiled, but Rose wasn’t really convinced. Hugo had said that she could be in any house, even _Slytherin_ , and she didn’t want to believe him but he had always read _Hogwarts, a History_ , which had bored her to tears and so he obviously _knew_. She should have read more. Maybe she wouldn’t feel so unprepared.

Rose’s father must have noticed her mounting terror and panic, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Rose.”

Her head swivelled up to see him, her wide eyes meeting his gaze.

“It will be fine, dear. Trust me. Just try to, you know, take some deep breaths, all right?”

Rose nodded weakly, and her dad smiled. He turned and said something to Uncle Harry.

The platform, packed with bodies, seized Rose’s attention. She watched the other parents and children stride by, lugging trunks and bags and all manner of animals that Rose’s parents had refused to buy her. She caught odd snippets of their conversations and the words distracted her, allowing her to relax and eventually smile a bit.

Her eye caught on a flash of white. Just down the tracks, hidden almost immediately as people blocked her view and clear as the sunrise the next moment, she saw a small family, all with silver-white hair that glinted under the harsh station lights. The boy looked over at her, his eyes narrowed.

She stared back, caught by his unnerving silver eyes. After a moment, he smiled slightly and winked, looking away. Rose smiled back just seconds too late. She turned back to her family, ignoring her brother who would only tell her things that’d make her feel sick again, and tried to listen in on her parents.

Who was that boy, she wondered. He had seemed so interesting.

-

The letter came at breakfast the next morning. Rose was thankful that it wasn’t a Howler.

 

>   
> _Rose,_
> 
>  _I’m severely disappointed in you. How did you manage to get yourself Sorted into Slytherin? Of all Houses, Slytherin??? For generations the Weasleys have been Sorted into Gryffindor. I have no idea how the Hat could have Sorted you into that house of snakes. You’ve obviously been associating with the wrong people, because you certainly didn’t inherit any Slytherin traits from_ me _._
> 
>  _Despite this shame, I’ll ask you to conduct yourself as a Weasley. I’m sure that we can fix this. Don’t associate with your housemates – I don’t want to hear a whisper of you acting like a snake or talking to one of them. I will Owl the Headmistress. I’m sure something can be done about this debacle._

Rose didn’t need to read the signature to know that it read _Dad_ ; she ran from the Great Hall and retched in an alcove outside.

-

 **9 September 2022**

A wild shriek wakes Rose.

She thinks that it would have been wonderful if everyone in the dorm had ignored the noise and placed pillows over their heads. Instead, they all felt the need to get out of their beds with great thuds, gasping and calling loudly, 'What is it?' and 'What happened?', like birds, and generally making it impossible for Rose to continue sleeping. So, annoyed at the whole lot of them, she shoves the sheets back and rolls off the bed.

As she stands and stretches, she sees that it is still dark outside the window. Oh, it’s _way_ too early. Whoever has woken everyone up – Rose’s going to _kill_ her.

She stumbles over to the mass of girls crowded around Cat Zabini’s bed and leans against a nearby bedpost. She glances at Victoria, blinking blearily herself. "What's so exciting?"

Victoria rolls her eyes. "Oh, just something about Cat's ring. I really haven't gotten much sense out of any of it."

Rose grimaces. She isn't surprised. Cat has been making a big deal about this ring of hers for days. Apparently, her Muggle boyfriend gave it to her over the summer. And as far as Cat was concerned, it was a symbol of the couple’s pure love for each other and her own superiority over the other girls in the dorm.

Rose is sick of hearing about the damn ring. It’s nothing special, anyway. Just a cheap metal band with plain designs etched onto it.

Cat’s wail rises over the whisperings of the other girls.

"It's gone! Gone! And he left a _note!_ "

A note? Rose really has no idea what Cat is crying about, and she is heartily tired of the girl’s hysterics besides, so she sighs and pushes away from the bedpost and shoves through the mass of twittering girls. Cat is slumped next to her bed, clutching a small piece of parchment in trembling hands.

Rose leans down and carefully works the note from Cat’s grasp. She squints, then leans towards a lit candle to read it.

 

>   
> _Catherine Zabini,_
> 
>  _I have your ring, and I don't want to hear another word about it or your Muggle lover. You're disgracing the whole of Slytherin House with your theatrics. If you can manage to keep silent about your ring and your horrid taste in lovers until winter break, then I will return it to you._
> 
>  _Moreover, I wouldn't think of going to the Head if I were you - he's as sick of your whining as the rest of us._
> 
>  _Do attempt to learn some decorum,  
>  Scorpius Malfoy_

Rose stares incredulously. For a moment, she cannot believe that Scorpius wrote the note. It is…so unlike him. He has never been so vindictive, so cruel…

But he has. He _has_ been this cruel to her. Last May. Rose blinks and forces the memory away. The note is from Scorpius – she knows his handwriting as well as her own. And though the tone of the note reminds Rose more of her brother Hugo, she can easily believe that this is Scorpius’ true nature showing through.

That bastard. He thinks that he can tell Cat what to do - steal her things and force her to mask her feelings for the sake of their _House_? Sure, Cat is annoying, but he’s only made it worse!

Someone takes the note from Rose as she grimaces and crouches. Cat doesn’t notice her. Awkwardly, Rose leans forward and pulls Cat into a hug.

"Don't worry. We'll get your ring back. And we'll get that bastard, too."

Cat clings to her desperately, clearly beyond reason for the moment. Rose cranes her head to see the other girls. They are passing the note back and forth. Some look angry, and others shocked. A few, pleased. Rose raises her voice to be heard.

"Well, we'll get Cat's ring back for her? Won't we?"

The girls hesitate for an instant, then nod. Rose pulls away from Cat, who seems to have calmed a bit.

"And we'll get Malfoy as well," she says.

A wicked smile touches Rose’s face for the first time in months. It feels unfamiliar and delightful. Anticipation grows within her.

"We aren't Slytherin for nothing."

-

 **1 September 2019**

The Great Hall was so noisy that it echoed. Rose crouched down in her seat, grateful, not for the first time, that she was a Slytherin. They were markedly quieter than the other Houses.

Then the first years came in, trailing raggedly behind Professor McGonagall, and she sat up straight. Where was he? Ah. There was Hugo, following a boy with dark brown hair and engaged in animated conversation with Lily.

Rose kept her eyes on him, though she didn't know whether to be glad or angry at finding him. She wondered which House he would end up in, but didn't need to think for long. Gryffindor, undoubtedly. Unlike _her_. She remembered that morning clearly.

As they had waited for the Express to come, crowded together in Kings Cross, her father had crouched down in front of Hugo. "Gryffindor, right, my boy?"

Hugo had replied with a sly smile, "Course, dad. Why would I choose anything else?"

That utter git. She had almost pounced on him, right there, in front of everyone. It was not as if she had _chosen_ to be in Slytherin!

But mum had held her shoulder tight, so she’d stayed still. She'd kill him when she got on the train. Her father had smiled at Hugo and stood. Then, as Hugo had moved onto the train, he’d watched for a moment and walked away.

Rose had stared after him. Dad had left her. He hadn’t said goodbye, or even looked at her. She’d known he was angry with her for being Sorted into Slytherin, and he had been unusually quiet over the summer, but she had never thought...

Mum had kneeled down in front her, mouth open to speak. When she’d seen the look on Rose's face, she’d stopped. "Oh, Rose," she had whispered, leaning forward and pulling Rose into a tight hug. Rose had clung to her, burying her face in her mum’s thick hair and nearly sobbing. But she had bit her lip and held the tears in.

She wouldn't cry in the middle of the platform. She just wouldn’t. After a long moment, her mum had pulled back. She had looked into Rose’s eyes and pushed Rose's thick red hair back.

"I'll talk to him. I never thought…" Her lips had twisted and her brows had knit with some unnameable emotion, then smoothed as she had looked back at her daughter. "Don't worry. I'll fix everything." She had smiled softly.

Rose had summoned a weak smile for her. She had felt relieved, that her mum was going to help. She knew her mum and she knew that she’d make it all right. She had nodded, and after another quick hug, her mum had stood and motioned towards the train. Rose had pulled her bags through the crowd, dragging them onto the train before turning for a last wave to her mother.

As she’d walked down the train corridor, she had paused at the sound of a familiar laugh. It had been piercing and high, and she had hated it immediately. Hugo. She had backed up a couple steps to peer into the compartment that she’d just passed.

There he had been – tossing his thick, dark red hair, just like hers, as he had chatted with Lily and a couple of the other _children_ who were just starting their first year like him. She hadn’t realized that her hand was on the latch to the door, ready to rip it open and plunge inside, until she had felt a soft touch on her forearm.

She had looked down at the thin fingers and pale skin, already smiling, her anger washed away by her happiness. Scorpius’ eyes has been smiling gently down at her. "I'm glad you're here."

His smile had grown broader, showing a few white teeth, and he’d glanced at her hand on the door latch.

"I'm glad to be here as well, I think." She had flushed and pulled her hand back, turning to walk down the corridor, squeezing past the older students. After a few cars, she had found an open compartment and squeezed through the door. He had followed.

They had stowed their bags away, and sat facing each other. For an instant, it had been silent, then he said, "I wouldn't hate him, if I were you."

She had frowned. "And why not? That snivelling brat has everything now - just because of a Sorting mistake. He shouldn't be so cocky."

"You still think it was a mistake?" There had been something indefinable in his eyes.

"Well, of course..." she’d said, startled by the turn in conversation. Her presence in Slytherin had to be a mistake. She was a Weasley. There was obviously something wrong with the whole affair. At least twice a day she had the feeling that she would wake up in the middle of her own Sorting, find the entire experience to be a daydream, and be sorted to Gryffindor. But that hadn't happened yet, and she was beginning to despair.

She had pulled her mind back on course. "As for Hugo, he deserves everything that I can give him. Every, single, nasty thing."

He had looked at her sceptically, leaning back. "Save it for somewhere less public then, won't you?"

She had grinned at him suddenly, delight growing as a plan had begun to flower in her mind. "Yes, I think I will."

And she would. But for now she had to sit there, crowded on both sides by gossipy female housemates, and watch her little brother's Sorting.

She was hardly surprised when "Potter, Lily" was sorted into Gryffindor, and she cursed her last name for the millionth time - so low in the alphabet.

Finally, it came. Her housemates' whispers faded to nothing as "Weasley, Hugo" was called. She clenched her hands as Hugo fairly sauntered up to the stool and sat. The hat was placed on his head. And _damn it_ , there was barely a hesitation before the hat cracked its brim and cried, "Gryffindor!"

She saw Hugo grin and almost laugh as he ran over to the Gryffindor table and threw himself down next to Lily. Rose met his eyes for an instant, but he didn't even acknowledge her.

Rose took a deep shuddering breath and looked away, into Scorpius’ concerned grey eyes. She stared into them, borrowing their calm and peace to hold herself together.

His eyes were all that kept her from sicking up on the table - barely.

-

 **10 September 2022**

At breakfast the next morning, they begin to plan.

Rose grabs a carafe of coffee from the centre of the table and pours herself a large goblet of it - black. She rarely does so, but she hadn't slept well after Cat's fit, so she feels that she deserves it. Victoria plops down next to her.

"What are you thinking?"

Rose glances at her questioningly as she sips the hot coffee. "Many things. What, in particular..."

Victoria grimaces. "You know what I mean." She leans closer and lowers her voice. "Helping Cat. I mean, the girl's a menace. Scorpius may be a complete git, but he's got the right of it. _Someone_ needed to shut her up."

"And do you think that stealing her things will keep her quiet?"

"Well..."

Rose slides a bit closer and sets her goblet down. "She would’ve whinged unendingly, and gone to Slughorn, and caused all manner of problems if I hadn’t said something. Now, if we offer to help her, we can keep her quiet and occupied planning." She takes a drink and nearly coughs at the searing heat. "Besides, anything that can take Malfoy down a peg is fine with me. That boy needs it, bad."

Victoria nods, eyeing Rose doubtfully. They both turn to look as Cat enters the hall. Her eyes are downcast and her hair, usually frazzled, is pulled into a loose ponytail. There are dark circles under her eyes.

Rose shoots a look at Victoria, and the other girl nods. She'll help.

Cat settles down across the table, picks up a croissant, and proceeds to pick it apart on her plate. Slowly, the rest of the dorm comes down to breakfast, and they all gather around Cat; resting their hands on her shoulder, reaching down the table to offer her pretty food, and sending wicked glares down the other end of the tables, where the boys are starting to sit as they come down.

No one speaks for several moments. Rose takes her time finishing the coffee. She feels much better, thanks to it.

"So, about Malfoy," she begins.

Victoria tugs at her sleeve. "Are you sure? I mean--"

Rose shrugs her off. Cat is staring at her, hope burning in her haggard eyes. Rose feels her heart go out to the girl. She is annoying and stupid, but it appears that she really loves her Muggle boyfriend.

Rose pushes all of her lingering misgivings aside, and smiles for the other girl.

"What we'll do is this. First, Cat, we'll get your ring back. Then we’ll punish Malfoy. Okay?"

"Why wait?" Cat asks in a rough voice. "I mean, there has to be any number of ways to get Malfoy now. He deserves something for taking my...putting me through this."

"Yes, he does, but if we try to hurt him before we get the ring, he may destroy it."

Cat freezes, then nods. "Let's do it your way, then. What did you--"

"Later," Rose says as a flash of familiar silver catches her eyes. Scorpius walks into the Great Hall, proud and satisfied-seeming. As he looks around, his eyes don’t even pause on Cat. Instead he seems drawn to Rose.

As he walks to his seat he looks at her, his gaze calm and deep. Rose takes a long breath, trying to ignore him. But she can’t entirely, and in her mind she begins to plan how best to hurt him.

She grabs a roll from the tray and begins tearing into it.

-

 **31 July 2021**

Hugo stared at Rose, and she stared balefully back. Behind her, the family was talking and laughing in the backyard. It was Uncle Harry’s birthday.

Rose decided that she felt nothing for Hugo. Not love, as she might for a brother, or hate, as for an enemy. No, he was a complete stranger to her. He stood there with his immaculately pressed robes, long and sleek despite his young age. He had only started Hogwarts last year, but he seemed more of an adult then she. She stood straighter.

"Yeah?"

He grimaced at her tone. "Don't be so childish," he sneered. "You need to grow up. If you're going to be a Slytherin, the least you could do is make the rest of us proud."

"'Be a Slytherin'?" She stepped away from the doorjamb, incredulous. "Since when did I choose this? And who is this 'rest of us'? You mean you and Dad, right? Because Mum has no problem with my Sorting."

"You think that only dad and I disapprove? Don't be stupid, Rose. Look around. Do you see anyone...any other member of the family speaking to you? I'll bet not one person has said hello to you all afternoon."

Rose froze. It was true. No one had so much as glanced at her. But, she thought, she’d been hanging around the house and not out playing around with everyone else. Was what Hugo said true? No. No, it couldn't be. Just because she hadn't spoken to any of them in a while...

Rose spun around, but no one was looking her way. Suddenly Lily glanced over and caught her eye. Rose offered a tentative smile and Lily burst into a grin, waving back. Rose whirled on her brother, furious.

"You lying git!" she shouted. "How dare you! You...you lied to me! I knew you were slimy, but not this much." She shoved him, sending Hugo tumbling into the house.

He hit the hard kitchen countertops as he moved backwards, sending him spinning to the ground. A plate slipped off and fell with a clatter. Their parents came rushing out of the living room.

"Dad! She..." Hugo cried out and rushed to their father.

He took one glance at his son and sent an incredulous glare at Rose. "You’ve hurt your brother again! Why do you always do things like this, Rose? What’s wrong with you?"

Rose's heart froze, and tears pricked at her eyes with his words. She stood very still, knowing that if she moved she would cry. An outraged scream pierced the air, followed by a sharp crack. Dad’s head snapped to the side with the power of Mum’s slap.

"You _bastard!_ " Mum was standing, red faced and breathless, before their father. Her hair flew out around her face. Words spilled from her mouth. "How _dare_ you! You're a disgrace! You've not been the same since your appointment as Head Auror, and with Rose’s Sorting you've only grown worse. I've tried, over and over and over, to reason with you but _no_..."

Tears began to slip down Rose's face. She loved her mum. She did. She was so glad that Mum was finally saying something and not just letting Dad glance away from her and favour Hugo. But she didn't want her parents to argue over her. She just...she just wanted everything to be like it used to be. Before Hogwarts, and Sortings, and this horrible screaming...

She wanted to be far away. She wanted to be with Scorpius, and she wanted to see his small smile and beautiful grey eyes that always made her happy. She wanted his sharp wit and his lovely laughter. Anything, _anything_ but this.

"I wish I was a Muggle!" she screamed at them all. Then, dashing the tears from her eyes lest she stumble, she turned and ran up the stairs to her room - ignoring the sudden silence and panicked cries of 'Rose!' from her mother in the living room.

-

 **10 September 2022**

 _You see him standing outside. His hair glints brighter-than-white in the sunlight. He is so beautiful._

 _Smiling, you run to him. He raises his hand to wave, seeing you instantly. As you get closer, you see that his work - which began as ordered notes on parchment - has descended into meaningless scribbles and drawings. You laugh, and he frowns at you, shoving the paper away._

 _You sit next to him and lean over, reaching for the drawings. He tries to push your hand away, but not fast enough, and you latch on. As the two of you wrestle, you end up on top of him._

 _You savour the heat of his body, glad that he cannot feel the tight arousal that builds below your stomach. You laugh together and never think of being apart._

Rose wakes from the dream panting. The emotions that course through her draw tears to her eyes, and she burrows her face in the pillows so that no one can hear her mourn what she has lost.

-

The next evening, Rose stays late in the library. She is attempting to finish her schoolwork for the rest of the week. She will need to have it done in order to complete the plan that is taking shape within her mind.

As she walks back through the Slytherin common room and to her dorm, she passes the entrance to the boys’ dorms. A portrait guards it – some seventeenth century Dutchman with an enormous hat and keen sight. She pauses, and then turns to face the man.

She has only been through the portrait once. She knows that, in order to complete her half-formed plan, she’ll have to go through the portrait again. And she also knows that only boys with the password are allowed inside.

When she’d stood in front of the portrait the first time, it had asked of her companion, “A girl?”, as if women were the sort of creatures that should be banned from Slytherin House. In order to get inside, she would have to be a boy.

She frowns, thinking. The portrait stares back, apparently disapproving of her gall in standing before him. Suddenly Rose hears male voices and she slips to the side and crouches behind a chair.

The boys – she does not know whom, for she doesn’t dare peek out from behind the chair – chatter inanely as they approach the portrait. Finally one breaks away from their conversation and says, “Sartor.”

Rose listens to the creak of the portrait opening, and then closing. She memorizes the pronunciation of the foreign word. She does not know its meaning, but she knows that this is the password. Now all she needs is to become a boy.

As she puts her books away in the dorm and changes for bed, something occurs to her. Hugo. She can use Hugo to become a boy. And kill two birds with one stone, as it were, revenging herself on Scorpius and Hugo both.

Rose settles into bed with a smile upon her lips and her plan finally settled in her heart. Despite this, her dreams are not happy. They are nightmares of the terrible night last May, which she is still trying to avenge.

-

 **29 May 2022**

Rose woke from sleep slowly. She was warm, and felt the pull of sheets wrapped tightly around her. She shifted and the sheets loosened. She felt his heat against her.

Her heart swelled as she remembered. She and Scorpius had had sex. She smiled uncontrollably, reaching her arms around Scorpius and pulling him close. He moved slightly, but didn’t seem to be awake.

Rose’s smile broadened and her heart sped up as she felt a glorious ache between her legs when she moved and flexed her muscles. It was almost unbelievable. After years of being Scorpius’ friend – of secretly coming to love him more than anyone else – they had done it. Finally, _done it_. She crushed her face into his back.

She felt him shift. His voice rumbled through him, a prelude to actual speech.

"Yes?" he said, his voice dully amused.

She _hmmm_...ed into his back. He laughed, and she pulled away as his back shook, crushing her nose and dislodging her arms. She giggled as well, and he turned and smiled at her.

False sunlight fell though the underwater windows of the boys' dorm. Rose slowly sat up, still smiling, and stretched. Behind her, she felt Scorpius still. She turned, slid to the edge of the bed, and let her legs hang off. Despite her lingering happiness, she was beginning to feel a bit grimy.

She dragged a hand through her thick hair. Ugh. It was disgustingly knotted. Only its length, halfway down her back, had kept it from becoming completely matted to her scalp. She needed a shower.

Behind her, the blankets rustled as Scorpius moved. "Rose?" His voice was so tentative that she turned to look at him.

He was clearly nervous. His lips were tight, and he refused to meet her eyes. Her heart sped up a bit with alarm. "What?"

Sitting up, he gathered the blankets close and looked out the window. "I need to tell you something. You see, it's your brother... He…"

Scorpius paused, and Rose stopped listening. Hugo. Ice shot through her. If it had to do with her brother, it couldn't be good. Nothing that had to do with him ever was. She turned more fully around, careless of the sheets that had covered her. The cool air on her body felt so much warmer than her heart.

She sat there, mute as Scorpius cleared his throat and continued.

"Well, he...I definitely didn't mean it but...and I never meant to feel that way..."

She could, to her absolute horror, see where that was going.

Scorpius didn’t love her at all. He wanted Hugo instead. And she was so similar to Hugo - she had cursed their near-twinness for years. She had hated Hugo for having everything that she wanted - everything but Scorpius. And now...now...

Tears sprung to her eyes.

"How dare you," she hissed, voice trembling. She dashed the tears from her eyes and moved, scrambling for her clothes on the floor. Suddenly she was having trouble seeing them.

"I can't believe...I thought that you, _you_ , would have cared enough for me. But Hugo. What is it about Hugo? Why does he get everything, _everything_ , even you?"

Scorpius whirled around, finally meeting her eyes. "You can't be angry with me. I've done nothing. It was all Hugo."

"Yes, I realize _that_. But you don't need to do anything. You've done enough as it is." She finally succeeded in pulling her skirt up, and swung her robes off her shoulder. She held them together with her left hand and pointed her wand at Scorpius. He froze, eyes wide.

“I don’t understand you. How can you hate me for this? You know how Hugo is. I only tried…”

"Don't you talk to me. Not ever. You bastard, I hope I never see you again." With a flick, she sent a vicious Bat-Bogey Hex at him.

He shrieked, his next words distorted by the spell. "Get out! You _bitch_. Get! Out!"

The portrait that led to the boys' dorms slammed behind her as she fled, and she ran through the halls to the bathroom. She needed to get clean. She threw up in the sink when she got there. And then she scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed herself until her skin was raw.

-

 _Outside, the Hogwarts grounds are deserted. A soft fog rolls off the lake, glowing in the dim morning light._

 _At first, you think that the Whomping Willow is black because it is limned by morning light. The sun is rising over the hills behind it. Moments later, you see that your original assumption was wrong. The Willow appears to be burned._

 _You move closer, curious. The tree is burned. Or, it was. Some time last night, probably. A soft, nearly invisible smoke curls off the tree. Even standing far enough away to be out of range, you can feel the warmth of the tree. It is grey and black on the outside - dead remnants of a fire - but you imagine that the inside is all orange; the dangerous and glowing flames merely banked. The heavy scent of charred wood fills your nose and reminds you of a campfire._

 _It's odd, though. The tree is not shifting to hit at you. You’re just far enough away to be safe, of course, but usually the tree threatens and waves its branches menacingly. But now, it doesn't. The Whomping Willow is standing, like any other tree, perfectly still._

 _Perhaps - and the thought strikes you like a blow - the tree is dead. Killed by the raging fire._

 _You lift your robes and run through the dewy grass to tell a teacher._

-

 **12 September 2022**

The next morning Rose has a difficult time pushing her dream away. It does not help that the dream was not a dream at all, but rather her worst memory. Still, within a half hour of waking she has dressed, pulled her hair tightly back, and arrived for breakfast at the Slytherin table.

She eats quickly and focuses on her plan. She must get into the boys’ dorms to get Cat’s ring (who has been pestering her for days about the plan, forcing Rose to move farther down the table, away from her, and closer to the boys). To enter the boys’ dorm she needs Hugo’s body; she smiles as she considers this. And for Hugo, she needs to speak with Albus.

After she has finished eating, Rose stands and makes her way over to the Hufflepuff table.

Albus eats voraciously. Rose watches him wolf food down as she walks. She has never understood why her cousin acts as if he has never been properly fed. He looks up at her approach, long strands of pasta hanging from his mouth.

She holds back a gag. He slurps them up and away.

Somehow, despite his eating habits, Albus is slim. Yet another thing that is unfair about her family. Rose settles next to him. He wipes his mouth and turns to her.

"Yes?" he asks. "You don't often grace us poor Hufflepuffs with your presence."

She smiles at him. Albus is calming. "I need some fags."

He shifts and looks away. "Really? What for?"

"Oh, honestly Albus. I just want fags. I'm not using them for nefarious purposes. Just give them to me."

He smiles and pours more pasta into his mouth, forcing Rose to look away. With his left hand, he reaches into his pocket and passes the slim packet over.

"Thanks."

-

That night, she stands outside, and with a flick of her wand, lights the fag she retrieved from her pocket. She stands near the front doors of the school, leaning on the great doorjamb and looking in. Students walk past in bunches - headed to their dorms now that the sun is setting.

As they pass her, they glance at the glowing tip of her fag and back down quickly, suddenly whispering to their friend and walking faster. Appalled by her most likely; she stands boldly, in view of the entire school, smoking _Muggle_ cigarettes. They’ll gossip. The entire school will be whispering about her by tomorrow night.

She looks out at the red horizon and smiles.

-

Rose holds her breath for a long moment, savouring the twist of smoke within her lungs, before she exhales heavily, the smoke from her fag billowing up, blocking the glow of the setting sun before dissipating.

Albus had given her three fags, and she is on her last. She had, for the past two evenings, taken to smoking in the most well traversed halls of the school. She’s been making herself conspicuous, not wanting to have to go back to Albus for more fags. Hopefully, this will work.

She continues to smoke, taking the lightest of drags - drawing out the burn to the very last. And finally, _finally_ , it works.

"Rose!" comes a harsh and desperate whisper from behind her. Her lips curl, maliciously, around the smoke she breathes out.

"Rose! Don't think you can get away with this. I'll--"

Ignoring him, she walks away. She knows he will follow. She heads out from where she has been standing, near the edge of the Great Hall, through the entrance halls and out onto the grounds. There are no footsteps behind her, but she knows he is there.

Slowly, she walks along the edge of the castle, drawing the front of her robes closer against the chill from the castle's shadow. With her other hand, she taps her fag and embers drift down and away.

Then she comes to the greenhouses, and slips into their warm humidity. The plants shiver as she walks down the aisles, reaching out to her. She moves carefully between them. Some of them are rather dangerous, and _she_ certainly doesn't want to be hurt by them.

The door clicks shut, far behind her, and she turns. Hugo, his hair frizzing in the wet air, stands pressed against the door. She smiles and waits. Now that no one is nearby - no one to see him talk to his shameful, outcast sister - he will come to her.

She takes the barest breath of her fag, feelings its burn begin to warm her fingers. She will have to end this soon.

Hugo hurries towards her. When he comes within earshot, he begins to speak, "You can't do this. You're disgracing the whole family by smoking, smoking out there in the open. I mean, being in Slytherin is bad enough, but you've always conducted yourself with some decorum. Why would you do this now - do you want us to seem like a bunch of low class, disgraceful no names?"

As he rants, disgust curdles within her. Who the hell does he think he is? She’d known that he’d be concerned about the family name and image...but to this extent?

"Father is the Head of the Auror Department. You cannot go around _smoking_." His face is desperate as he pleads with her, and Rose finds him suddenly pathetic.

"So," she drawls, slowly bringing the last of the fag to her lips, "you don't want me to smoke?" She smiles at him.

He nearly blows up in fury. "What...what...," he sputters at her, completely forgetting himself and blundering through the overhanging leaves of the grimosia plant. Its thorns, nearly a fingers-length long, snag his robes and pull him back.

He turns to untangle himself, and as he does, Rose drops the fag and pulls out her wand. " _Stupefy!_ " she cries, and he falls. He lands on his back, eyes closed and face peaceful. The arm that was caught by the grimosia stands up straight, suspended from the deadly thorns and writhing leaves.

-

 **28 May 2022**

"Want a fag?" She held it out and he smiled. His slim hand moved forward and she stretched her fingers, wishing they were longer, so that the transition from her hand to his would be smoother.

But he didn't touch her hand or the fag, reaching past and laying his hand on her shoulder - softly. She looked up into his grey eyes, surprised. They were warm, crinkled at the edges with his hidden smile.

She stared for an instant. "You don't --" she began to ask, bewildered, and then his hand tightened, and she fell silent.

-

 **14 September 2022**

It is late.

Rose has waited until this hour for a reason. She knows that all the other students are in the dorms. As long as she is careful, she will have free rein of the castle tonight.

She piles the clothes she has taken from Hugo on the edge of a sink in the third-floor girls’ bathroom. Wouldn't do to have them soak up the water on the floor. She smiles at the clothes, her heart twisting in anticipation.

The thought of Hugo, stripped naked and left lying near hallucinogenic plants in the greenhouse, brings a smile to Rose’s face. She wonders if he will be expelled for his obvious…night-time indiscretions. A harsh laugh escapes her as she imagines her brother’s mortification.

Rose looks into the mirror, preparing herself. Her face is pale, and her eyes appear to be sunken holes in her face. Her hair, thick and knotted, surrounds her face completely like a banked flame.

She’s never been glad before that she and Hugo have the same hair.

Now, as she stares at herself, she sees not her own face, but Hugo's. She will hardly need Polyjuice to fool Scorpius. In any case, she does not want him to be tricked for long. She wants to give Scorpius everything that he has ever wanted, and then take it away from him. Just as he did to her.

She reaches the pocket of her robes and pulls out her wand. She takes a last look into the mirror, a breath to steady herself, and with a whispered _Diffindo_ , begins to cut.

The steady snap of hair under her sharp spell is freeing. She hasn't cut her hair in years. And now she is slicing it all off, to just above her ears. She takes her time, gathering small bunches of hair and cutting them at varied heights, needing to be as much like her brother as possible.

When she is done, her hair floats loose around the crown of her skull. She looks a bit like a dandelion, she thinks. But then, so does Hugo. Her delicate, sensitive flower-brother.

-

 **28 May 2022**

As she held out the fag, Scorpius reached past it. She looked up into his grey eyes, surprised. They were warm, crinkled at the edges with his hidden smile.

She stared for an instant. "You don't --" she began to ask, bewildered. His hand reached her shoulder and tightened on it, and she fell silent. She felt nervous and breathless, being so close to him.

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, and her skin managed to pale and flush at the same time. He was so...so very close to her. Her arm weakened and fell. He pulled against her shoulder, and she swayed towards him.

The fag fell, burning brightly, into the grass. Forgotten.

And then, he kissed her. It was a soft kiss - just the barest brush of lips at first. Rose's breath caught, and she leaned closer. _More_. She wanted more. He leaned closer as well, pressing his lips tightly to hers. Joy swelled within her. She had been waiting for this for - how long had she been waiting?

An instant later he shifted, opening his lips slightly and licking her lower lip. Rose gasped and opened her mouth. She was hot inside. As if, when she exhaled, fire would stream out, engulfing them both. So she held her breath.

As Scorpius opened his mouth wider, she felt his warm, moist breath on her, his mouth on hers, and his tongue darted out to taste her own. She moved closer, until they were pressed together, their clothes and hands tangled on top of the soft grass.

The kiss deepened, and Rose savoured the taste of him, so wet and clean, unlike her own smoky mouth. She breathed him in desperately. She sucked his tongue into her.

-

 **14 September 2022**

The dorms are dark - all the boys asleep. Rose moves through the room silently.

She knows which bed is Scorpius'. As she reaches it, she pauses. She takes a deep breath and wrenches her mind back from thoughts of revenge. She needs to focus on her official goal. Cat’s ring.

Slipping to her knees by Scorpius’ trunk, she squints at the lock. The light in the room is dim – there is merely one candle by the door – but she can see enough to know that the lock is standard. There don’t seem to be any funny spells on it.

She pulls her wand out of the inside pocket of Hugo’s robes and whispers, “ _Alohomora_ ,” smiling at the tiny click of the lock opening. She swiftly lifts the lid of the trunk, peering inside.

It is frighteningly neat. On one side are trousers, folded and stacked perfectly. And on the other side are shirts and robes, likewise organized.

Sitting on the topmost shirt, its weight creating a tiny dent in the fabric, is Cat’s ring. It is so boldly placed. As if it were waiting for her. Rose frowns at Scorpius’ daring. He went to the trouble to steal the ring and make sure that everyone knew that he had done it, and yet couldn’t be arsed to hide it properly.

Rose feels nothing but contempt for him.

She stands and slips the trunk closed. As she does so, Rose places the ring on a finger for safekeeping – so that she doesn’t lose it before she gets it back to Cat.

She means to slip the ring onto her thumb. But somehow, when she looks away, her traitorous hands take Cat’s pretty little ring and slip it onto the ring finger of her left hand. She stares down at it, but cannot force herself to move it.

The placement seems right and turns her stomach at the same time. For she had thought, once, that she would marry Scorpius.

But he wanted Hugo. Rose takes a deep breath and looks up at the bed with closed curtains in front of her. Well then, Hugo she will give him.

Rose walks around the corner of the bed and reaches for the heavy curtains that hide Scorpius from view. She pulls them slowly aside.

Even in the dim light, the faint outline of his angular face is clear. He is sleeping peacefully. She can’t even hear him breathe. He looks so...innocent.

She shifts Hugo's trousers - just too small, and difficult to move freely in - and lifts herself onto the bed. The quilt and sheets rustle under her. She draws her wand and casts a Silencing spell, wrapping it around the bed. She tucks her wand back into the robe and shucks it from her shoulders, leaving it at the foot of the bed.

Rose moves toward Scorpius, then pauses. She reaches back blindly and yanks the curtains closed, plunging them into darkness. She wants no one to interfere.

Gently feeling her way up Scorpius’ body, so as not to awaken him, she finds the curve of his torso and moves to straddle it. She reaches further up, brushes the sharp planes of his face, and finds his mouth. She places a hand on each side of his face, and with slow, infinite concentration, leans down and kisses him.

His mouth is still and immobile in sleep. It is odd, but she is grateful for that. She’s afraid to be sucked back into loving him, and welcomes the dissociation of his dreaming.

Scorpius shifts and moans under her. Rose pulls back from the kiss, takes a short breath and leans back down. As she kisses him again – licking his lips and running her tongue across his slick teeth, she moves her hand down his body.

She reaches farther, past his soft nightshirt and the mountains of worn sheets, until her arm is stretched to its farthest and she feels the burning hardness of his cock. It has responded to her kisses – or perhaps his own dreams of Hugo, she thinks bitterly.

Lips part and Scorpius begins to kiss Rose lightly back. He moans softly and turns his face away slightly. “You came,” he breathes happily. His hands fumble for a moment, then find Rose’s shoulder and fist in her newly shorn hair.

“Yes…”

With this hiss, Scorpius’ grip firms, drawing Rose close. She is glad that she took the time to bind her small breasts down before coming. Otherwise her ruse would be finished. She takes care to keep her hips from touching his, though she is tight with arousal and wants nothing more than to move with him.

Rose snarls and pulls back. She keeps her hands on Scorpius’ shoulders to keep from losing him, and stares into the blank darkness in front of her. Before she can make a decision as to what to do next, what she can do to humiliate Scorpius properly, he slips his hands down.

They land on the tenderest part of her waist, sending shivers through her. She bites her lips fiercely, but the pain does nothing to help.

“Rose.”

She freezes at the word the slips from Scorpius’ lips. She looks down, but can still see nothing.

“Rose. I knew you’d come…” His voice is heavy with sleep and trails off.

“What?” Rose’s own voice is tense and sharp. Her eyes are wide and her chest heaves. She feels Scorpius stiffen beneath her and, alarmed, she moves to grab her robe, _Hugo’s robe_ , and take her wand out so that she can get away but Scorpius is faster.

Even in the absolute blackness of his bed, he knows where his wand is. She hears, “ _Lumos_ ,” and a violent white light floods the bed.

Rose flinches back from it, shielding her eyes. Instinctively she moves backward towards her wand. She’s failed. Her plan has failed. She needs to leave, and now, before she does her dignity any more damage. At least she can give Cat her ring back.

Scorpius’ hand seizes her arm and she is yanked back toward him with a gasp.

She stares into his wide, grey eyes and wants nothing more than to escape. She must get away!

But Scorpius does not toss her from him in disgust. His brow furrows and he asks, of all things, “Why do you look like Hugo?”

“Why do I look like Hugo?!” Her voice rises precipitously. “You should know!” She spits and hisses and attempts to pull back, but his grip tightens and she sighs at the pain of it.

“You wanted Hugo. So here I am.”

He shakes her, anger finally crossing his face. “I never wanted Hugo!” It is a shout, held within the bed by Rose’s earlier Silencing spell.

“Of course you did!”

“I didn’t! Your brother wanted me!”

Rose’s mind skips, and her thoughts blur. What?

Scorpius, desperate, stares into Rose’s eyes and continues. “Your brother approached me. Kissed me. That’s what I was trying to tell you that night. I kissed him back but only because…because I thought that he was _you_.”

She is numb.

“I stole Cat’s ring because I know you. I knew that you would fight to get it back. Especially if it gave you a chance to get to me. Rose. Rose, you shouldn’t of refused my letters this summer. I was so angry last May, _so angry_ when you, without a thought, accused me of desiring your brother.”

Scorpius leans forward and grips Rose’s face with both hands. Rose feels silent tears slip down her cheeks.

“I love you, Rose. Only you. I’ve wanted to tell you since the moment we last parted. Don’t do this to us. Let Hugo go. He has nothing, _nothing_ to do with this. I swear.”

She is shaking, consumed with wordless and all-encompassing shame. She understands now. With a sudden low cry, Rose throws herself off the bed, running from the room.

-

Rose violently pulls the curtains around her bed shut, and sits shivering in the perfect darkness. In only reminds her of the bed that she has just left.

When had she become a monster? When had she become so consumed by envy for her brother and all that he received as a _Gryffindor_ that she had blinded herself to everything else? When had she gone so mad that she would accuse the person that she loved above all else, the only person that she had ever slept with, of deception?

Rose had always had Scorpius. He was her best friend, and she loved him.

She is a fool.

Her emotions are tattered and confused. They flash through her, trapping her in a circle of pain and sadness and shame. Rose cannot think straight. She can only think of Scorpius’ bright eyes, so earnest in the white spell-light. They had stared straight into her soul.

Her rotted, poisoned soul.

Rose cries herself to sleep.

-

 **28 May 2022**

He was so warm and close to her that Rose was left breathless.

Tightness built inside her and she clutched him closer, though there was no space left between them. Then he pulled back, wrenching away. She felt a sudden, crippling sense of desperation - she was bereft. She pushed the feeling back. It was too strong.

"Scorpius?" she choked out.

He was breathing hard. "Not here," he murmured, and she suddenly realized where they were. On the Hogwarts lawn, just out of reach of the Whomping Willow, which twitched and reached for them. Anyone could see them. She flushed at the thought, and her arousal fled with mortification.

Scorpius stood and pulled his robe back on. He smiled down at her - one of his rare grins. "Well, are you coming?"

She stared at him, confused, and he began to walk away.

Back towards the castle, she saw. Sudden excitement blossomed. He was heading back towards the dorms. This was it! A grin to match his spread on her face, and she scrambled to run after him.

-

 **15 September 2022**

Rose hesitates outside the Great Hall.

She doesn’t want to go in. She doesn’t want to see anyone. But she knows that she can’t avoid this. Cat’s ring itches on her finger. She can’t hide away in her rooms all day. She has to return the ring. Then she can retreat.

Rose is afraid to see Scorpius as well. She does not want to see the pity in his eyes. And she is too wrung out to speak to him. There is nothing to say. She still needs to think, and to process. She hopes that soon she will stop feeling so completely numb.

Rose steps forward, into the stream of students entering the Great Hall. Dimly, she is aware of murmurs as the other students see her – haggard and sleepless, with roughshod hair and wrinkled clothes. She doesn’t care.

She keeps walking, putting one foot before the other.

Just beyond the doorway, Rose is forced to stop. A great mass of students is standing in the Hall. No one seems to be sitting. She glances around, but cannot find the cause of it.

Through a gap in the crowd, she spots the sixth year Slytherin girls. Cat and Victoria are in the group. She moves through the crowd, barely murmuring as she squishes past people, causing them to send nasty and surprised looks in her direction.

Finally she reaches them. Cat sees her first, and her eyes widen with surprise as she takes in Rose’s appearance. “Are you all right? What’s happened? I—“

Rose holds up a hand to forestall any further questions. She is still unwilling to speak. Gladly she lets herself be folded into the group of girls, and she listens with dim amusement to their worried mutterings around her.

She pulls the ring from her finger, turns and hands it to Cat.

The girl goes abruptly silent, along with the others. Cat looks at her ring as if it were an hallucination. Her hands shake as she slips it onto the ring finger of her left hand.

When she looks up, her eyes are sparkling and her smile is miles wide. She throws her arms around Rose, who stumbles but is held up by the girls around her.

“Thank you, thank you,” Cat whispers into her ear. “I don’t know what you did, or how you did it, but you’ve saved us. You’ve saved our relationship. This ring meant everything to me. Without it, I don’t know how I could have gone on. _Thank you_.”

Rose pulls back, feeling suddenly breathless. She smiles at Cat and a giddiness rushes through her. She has saved Cat’s relationship – but not her own.

It is only then that she hears the shouting.

“Where is she? I want her!”

The voice is familiar to Rose, but so are most of the voices that she hears at Hogwarts. She frowns and tries to force her mind to work properly.

The students in the Hall are looking around, and quite a few of their gazes land on Rose. As she notices, her heart grows cold and she pales. The Slytherin girls step closer, and she grips a hand that she knows is Victoria’s. What do they want?

Slowly, the crowd parts, and Rose sees.

Hugo is standing in the centre of the Hall, screaming at the Headmistress. He is mostly naked, and clutches a set of robes around him, heedless of the skin he is exposing in his obvious fury. Flitwick dances around the boy, trying to get him properly clothed. McGonagall watches the entire scene dryly.

"...and you won't punish her! I SWEAR! I'm telling the truth! The! Truth!" He whirls, turning his glare on the students watching, and he sees Rose. He freezes and gapes, then stalks towards her.

"You bitch. How dare you!" Rose cringes back from his scream. She remembers suddenly how she had stunned her brother and left him naked in the greenhouses. Shame pricks at her but she stands steady.

"Will you deny it?! I'd thought you'd revel in it, you _Slytherin cunt!_ " His blue eyes, so like their father’s, are wide and crazed. Rose stares mutely at him.

Hugo’s reaction is too extreme. She knew that she had humiliated him – but not to this extent. Not so far that he would lose his reason and wits altogether. She is frightened of him.

Hugo steps towards her, his face twisting in hatred, but a hand on his shoulder stops him. He turned his inhuman glare upon the owner of the pale hand.

Scorpius arches an eyebrow as he stares down at the boy. "You shouldn’t attack your sister so.” His voice is venomously sweet. “Not when you are so obviously…vulnerable to attack yourself.” His eyes rake Hugo, standing with robes askew and a barely legal amount of skin exposed. Hugo flushes and flinches. He gathers the robe closer to himself. But Scorpius is not finished. “Leave. Her. Alone."

McGonagall's voice echoes through the Hall. "Mr Weasley, let's take this _back_ to my office. Shall we?"

Sending vicious glances at Rose, Hugo slinks back to the head table.

Shaking, Rose pulls back from the Slytherin girls. She is grateful for their support, but she can’t be near them now. She can’t be near anyone. Rose pushes towards the side, through the crowd.

The crowd groans and glares as she moves through them, unwilling to let their ‘new celebrity’ flee. Finally she reaches the wall and slides along it until she is through the doorway.

She walks calmly down the hall, but when she is out of sight, she runs straight back to the dorms.

-

Despite Scorpius' defence of her - which has, she believes, kept her from serious trouble, Rose sees little of him. He is at meals and in classes - but they never speak.

Scorpius watches her, meeting her gaze calmly when she forgets that he is there and looks up, and holding the door open for her in classes. They do not do homework together as was once common. They sit at separate tables in all their classes. Rose knows that he has forgiven her – that he can see how much pain she is in.

But every time she opens her mouth, the words stick in her throat.

Rose cannot forget the harm that her words have done. And she cannot help fearing what will come from her mouth if she turns to Scorpius and apologizes.

What will become of them now?

-

 **28 May 2022**

She laughed as Scorpius kissed her. She sat down on the bed, her legs hanging off. He stepped between them and kissed her. He pulled at her tie, the collar of her shirt.

"Do you know," he said, as he unbuttoned her white shirt, “that I've always thought that a woman in man's clothing is terribly sexy." He smiled at her, the biggest grin she had seen from him in a while.

She laughed. "Well, the way you always play with the buttons on my cuffs, I had suspected it." Her voice was husky with arousal. His eyes flew up to meet hers, and darkened.

He leaned forward and kissed her. His lips were soft and dry. Hers were sore from their earlier kisses. She moaned as their mouths opened, and his tongue darted into her mouth. She kissed him back as fully as she knew how, her lack of experience making her feel awkward and desperate.

His arms dropped from her collar and wound around her. They were warm and tight, and his fingers dug into her back, sending shivers through her. Tightness pooled below her stomach. Her breath shortened, and her chest tightened with emotion. She wondered how it would feel to have him inside her. Tight and hot, with little ridges that sent shivers through him?

She was suddenly dizzy. Scorpius pulled back. "Rose? Rose, are you all right?" She clung to his forearms as he laid her down on the bed. After a moment her vision cleared.

"Yes," she said, and smiled up at his worried face. "I'm all right. I just, I don't know if I'm ready for this...I mean..."

She didn't know what to say to him. He made her feel so wonderful, yet... It was all very sudden, and very worrying...

She nearly pulled away from him, but then he kissed her, his eyes sliding closed, and she gave in. Nothing mattered except his mouth on her mouth and his hands stroking her and sliding off her clothes.

One of Scorpius' hands worked its way up Rose's leg, caressing her thigh. He pushed her skirt up, and she arched into him. Arousal flared within her. Her breath sped up, and she opened her mouth wider, devouring him.

Reaching up, she fisted her hands in his hair, pulling him down and closer. She wanted him in her. She wanted everything that he could possibly give her.

Scorpius gasped and pulled slightly back. Rose's eyes flew open to look at him - she didn't even remember closing them. His eyes were narrowed with pain, she saw, and she knew that she had pulled too hard on his hair. She let him go, still breathing heavily.

He smiled at her. "Well..."

She moved her hands down and gripped his shoulders, pulling him down on top of her. She couldn't breathe under his weight until he pushed himself up onto his elbows and kissed her again.

Rose tried to rub herself against his legs but they were too far from her. She shimmied down until her hips balanced on the very edge of the bed, and she could touch his thighs with hers and wrap her legs around him. She gasped at the sensation. Scorpius took the opportunity to end their kiss and begin pulling her clothes off once more. Rose gasped at the shocks of sensation as he kneaded at her breast and pulled her jumper off and over her head.

She tried to help, but only ended up getting tangled in her own clothes. She pushed him back and reached down, swiftly drawing her jumper over her head. Then she focused on the buttons of her shirt and began to undo them. About three buttons down, she grew sick of the tediousness of the exercise and started wrenching at the opening - hoping to rip them right off. It was more difficult than she had expected.

She looked up and her breath caught as she watched Scorpius pull his own shirt over his head. He was so pale and lean. She wanted to reach out and seize him - draw that slim waist and pale chest right up against her skin until she couldn't tell where one of them ended and the other began.

She watched him intently, momentarily frozen by her desire for him. It raged through her, heating her cheeks and breasts.

Scorpius grabbed her shirt and ripped it open with a quick smile. As he slid it off her shoulders, Rose's heart stuttered in admiration. She wanted him to touch her so desperately...

They reached out for each other in the same moment. She ended up with her hands resting on his waist. Scorpius' hands cupped her breasts. He tweaked her nipples and Rose groaned. She let her head fall back onto the bed and her eyes close.

For a moment, she just felt. She was off balance, as if she could fall off the bed and into an abyss. Clutching at the sheet and breathing hard, she braced herself.

Scorpius' hands moved from her breasts down to her waist, and then lower. He lifted her skirt up so that it covered her stomach and touched her wet knickers. Rose's hips jerked, and her mouth fell open. The light touch had sent a deep streak of longing through her, so strong that she didn’t know how she ever did without it.

He drew back, and she wanted to whine. More. She wanted more. She imagined his hard cock inside her and her hips began to move beyond her ability to control. After a pause, Scorpius' hands fell onto her hips, holding her still with his weight. She arched up and her eyes flew open.

Her wild gaze fell on the backside of the room. She couldn’t turn her head back the right way – she couldn’t see Scorpius.

Rose’s legs, which still hung off the edge of the bed, spread wider. Her feet and toes grabbed at Scorpius' legs but found no purchase.

One of Scorpius' hands lifted off her hip and fingered her cunt. She was so wet that his fingers slipped partially inside, and she released a desperate cry. They both dipped as his entire weight fell to one side, and finally she could see him.

Scorpius' eyes were wide and he was staring down at her and his own amazingly hard cock. His silvery blond hair fell over his face in strands, and his chest heaved.

Rose felt something hot and hard nudge against her where she was wettest. _His cock_. A surge of arousal coursed through her at the thought. Then Scorpius' hips snapped forward, and he was inside her.

Pain shot through Rose, and she cried out loudly. Scorpius’ fingers dug into her hips as he froze. She took a few deep breaths and managed, "G-go...," and Scorpius began moving once more.

His rhythm was erratic at first, and Rose kept her eyes glued on his face, upturned and tight. He bared his teeth and grunted as he shoved inside her, deeper and deeper.

Rose was amazed by him. His face was beautiful, even strained as it was by passion. Soon she lost her focus, and her head fell back. She stared at the canopy over the bed, though its dark folds were soon obscured by her own arousal. Her sight grew dark and turned inward. She rode waves of sensation as Scorpius thrust into her.

She knew that they were both making noises - gasps and grunts and moans - but Rose could no longer hear them. She could only feel Scorpius stop moving, and then fall forward onto her.

But she was too far gone to care. Her hips kept moving and her cunt throbbed and she came, her vision going white and the world completely silent for a long and blissful moment.

As she became aware of herself again, she found that she was panting hard. Scorpius' weight was heavy on her. Dimly she felt her hands push against his chest. He sighed deeply and shifted over, lying next to her on the bed.

Rose knew that she should push herself and move her legs onto the bed. But Scorpius was lying next to her, breathing heavily with his eyes closed. So she turned onto her side and wrapped her legs over his. Scorpius reached forward and pulled her close to him, and then relaxed.

It only took Rose a moment to fall into sleep. She clung to the light and full feeling that suffused her. She later thought that she had fallen asleep with a smile on her face.

-

 **27 September 2022**

An owl swoops down over the tables. It catches Rose's eye because she recognizes it. It is her parents' owl, Raptor. Of course, it was the size of a pigeon and about as aggressive, but Mum had once told Rose that her father had named it.

And the owl was flying towards her. She rarely got letters from home.

She watches the owl's flight intently, as it comes closer and closer. Her gaze catches on Scorpius’ hair, and she quickly tears it away. She will only grow maudlin and sad if she looks at him for long enough. She watches Raptor settled down gracefully on the table.

A small parchment is rolled and tied to his leg. She pulls it off and glances at it, absently feeding the bird something off the table. As it flies away, she pushes her plate aside and spreads the note out to read.

She knows the handwriting. It is her father’s.

 

>   
> _Rose,_
> 
>  _I’m sorry. Your mother has been telling me this for years, but now I can see what a fool I’ve been. I‘ve pushed you away and tried to make excuses for your Sorting for a very long time now. I always thought that something had gone wrong – that Hugo had been blessed by his own Sorting as you had been cursed._
> 
>  _But the Headmistress has written to tell me of the trouble that Hugo has gotten into lately. It’s my own fault that he is spoiled and willful, and I intend to fix that as soon as possible. I know now that you are the more mature, the more blessed of my children._
> 
>  _Please Rose, write back. Forgive me. My temper got the best of me, and led to horrible things._
> 
>  _I love you always, and always have,  
>  Dad_

Rose finishes the letter with tears swimming in her eyes. Dad loves her. He really loves her. And he has said that he was wrong. Her hands clasp the note tight, crumpling it close to her.

She pulls the note into her lap as relief and joy floods through her. A small smile, the first truly happy smile she’s had for months, courses across her face.

Victoria, sitting next to Rose, nudges her. Rose looks up and blinks, then dashes her tears away. She takes a deep, shuddering breath and whispers, “What?”

With a grin stretching across her face and mischief in her eyes, Victoria nods at a table across the Hall. Rose looks over, sitting up straight to see over the many heads in between.

An unfamiliar owl has swooped down to the Gryffindor table and landed in front of Hugo. As he leans back and away from the owl, Rose can see that it is clutching a bright red envelope, smoking slightly.

Rose stands suddenly, stepping back behind the bench so that she won’t fall over. Hugo stands as well, and backs away from his own table in alarm. His housemates chatter at him, gesticulating wildly, and finally he steps forward and gingerly opens the envelope.

Mum’s strident voice echoes through the Hall.

 

>   
> _“Hugo!_
> 
>  _I have just received a letter from Headmistress McGonagall, and I cannot believe what I have heard! Hallucinogenic plants?! Public NUDITY?! Just because you are a Gryffindor does NOT mean that you are allowed free rein of the castle!_
> 
>  _You are lucky that you were not expelled! I am completely ashamed—“_

Rose’s mum’s voice continues screaming. The entire student population turns to look at Hugo, who has crouched to the floor and buried his face in his hands. His mates are busy trying to douse the inflammatory letter.

Delight fills Rose. A grin splits her face, and she turns and runs from the Hall before she bursts into uncontrollable laughter and draws attention to herself.

-

Rose sits on the ground in the cold autumn air for a long time.

She sits with her legs curled under her, a small smile still etched onto her face, despite the fact the Hugo’s Howler, and her own letter, came almost an hour ago. It is beautiful outside, and she is happy. She could sit here forever.

The Whomping Willow stands directly in front of her, eerily still. The tree is entirely black, as it has been since last May. Rose can dimly recall hearing, through the haze of her anger with Scorpius, that the Willow had been burned in a fire and died.

As a matter of fact, the Willow’s fire occurred the same night that she had slept with Scorpius. It had been the news of the day, and half the school had been muttering about it by breakfast that morning. Rose had hated them for gossiping and not sharing her pain.

But now, thinking back, she can smile. In fact…

Rose recalls, on that May afternoon, kissing Scorpius here on the grass. Maybe right here, she considers, and takes a handful of thick grass. She and Scorpius kissed, and she had dropped her fag…

Rose laughs, the emotion bursting from her. _She_ had burned the Whomping Willow to death, all with a carelessly dropped fag. It is so ironic, that in their joy that day, the two of them could have left behind something so destructive.

It is not all bad, though. She looks at the Willow. She can see small green sprouts on the ends of branches, and rich brown bark showing through the black of ash. As she leans forward, the tip of a branch twitches. Rose smiles. The Whomping Willow lives. By spring, it appears, the tree will live in disharmony with its neighbours once more.

Her hand is cold and numb. Rose frowns at the fact that she has just noticed this fact. She pushes her hand into her pocket, and it brushes against the crunched note from earlier. She leaves it in there, fingering the thick parchment with her fingertips.

Rose smiles once more. She will write back. She will forgive her father for everything – for she knows now where foolish and irrational anger can lead. She takes a deep breath and stands.

An excited grin stretching across her face, Rose turns, stepping back towards the castle. And then she freezes.

Standing there, with his arms wrapped around himself in the chill air, is Scorpius. He is watching her intently. The smile falls from Rose's face, and she feels herself flush.

She casts her eyes across the lawn, but finds nothing there to look at. So she looks back to him. Scorpius’ gaze is fathomless. He smiles without actually smiling, the edges of his eyes turning up, and the tips of his mouth thinning.

He wants her back. As a friend – maybe more.

Rose doesn’t know if she can go back. She still feels shame when she thinks of how she hurt him. Can he – will he – trust her once more?

Rose forces a tentative smile to her face, despite the fact that her stomach is churning with nervousness. She opens her mouth to ask him what they will do – how they will make this relationship work, and says,

“I love you.”

Her mouth hangs open for a moment; surprised at the words it has just let loose. Rose swallows, nearly chokes, and closes it with an audible clack.

A small grin spreads across Scorpius’ face. He pulls his arms away from himself and reaches forward, grasping Rose’s shoulders. He does not pull her close, but holds her tight in his grip like a bird that he is afraid to loose.

As Rose masters herself, she brings her own hands up, and touches his arms lightly. He is so warm and solid. She never wants to let him go.

“I love you, too.”

With a sigh that spans everything from relief to joyful laughter, Rose falls into his arms.

 

 **-End**


End file.
